


Miss Fortune

by makototachibana



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Circus, Drama & Romance, F/M, Minor Character Death, Missing Persons, Mystery, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-20 06:12:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5994442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makototachibana/pseuds/makototachibana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In late 19th century Paris, France there’s only one show every boy and girl dreams of seeing: The Miraculous Circus. But behind the curtains and masks there’s something much deeper and darker going on, and it’s going to take more than luck to figure it out and put a stop to it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello! you may or may not remember me from my previous work: appeler un chat un chat. fair warning: this is going to be veeeery different, but just as good, if not better (I hope). 
> 
> honestly, I went to the circus not too long ago and this was all I could think about, and I have been enjoying writing this sooo much!!! so I hope you all enjoy reading it! 
> 
> also shoutout to my main miraculous homie leah for betaing this and being just plain amazing c:

When Marinette was nine years old she lost everything.

Her house and her family had gone up in smoke and flames, leaving the poor, newly orphaned girl standing alone covered in ash outside as she watched the fire lick up and down the only place she had ever called home. The only thing left to her name being the filthy ladybug doll she clutched to her chest as she wept for her loss. 

How the fire started forever remained a mystery, and the memory of her loving family stayed locked up in a box inside her heart only for her to view when she felt she had no more strength left. After the incident, she found herself looking within quite often. 

She had not been orphaned longer than a week, when a mysterious man showed up to her orphanage looking to adopt talented children. He showed an interest in her, introducing himself as “Hawkmoth”, expecting her to call him that instead of “father”. He made his life sound like an adventure, and after Marinette had lost everything, she figured she didn’t have any more to lose, so she chose to go with him.

Marinette never thought of herself as a talented girl, and she never understood why Hawkmoth chose her that day out of every other child that had longed for a new family for years. But she decided not to question what fate had brought her. He had told her of his plans to create a wonderful new show for young boys and girls like herself, and how he wished for someone as beautiful as her to be a part of it. Marinette thought that even if she could no longer smile, she might as well try and make other children happy.

The friendly young boy that had accompanied Hawkmoth only made the transition easier. He said his name was Adrien, and he had been the first person to make her laugh after her parent’s passing.

Adrien explained how lucky Marinette was that she was the second orphan to get chosen for this incredible role (him being the first), and told her how he thought she would make a beautiful trapeze artist. He said he could imagine her soaring through the air like a bird, leaving people wondering if she secretly had wings. It was a childish thing to say, but nevertheless his words to her that first day forever resonated within her, and after being a professional trapeze artist and aerial acrobat for ten years, she couldn’t imagine not following his suggestion. The art felt natural to her. 

On stage she was known as the Miraculous Ladybug, one of the headliners and first-string members for Miraculous Circus. Children came from around France to see her make incredible leaps and bounds through the air, swinging from trapeze to trapeze effortlessly, performing spins and balancing acts the likes of which no one could compare to.

Ladybug never missed a landing. When she was in the air she felt alive and free, all of her misfortunes awash from her mind as the wind brushed past her face and through her hair. Only when she was in the air could she forget about who she was and where she came from. She could let herself go and be the amazing Ladybug that children fawned over. Sometimes, if she was feeling wistful, she could even imagine herself having wings.

And it was enough. 

“Marinette! Could you help the newbies with the static trapeze?” Rose called, waving her hand in front of Marinette’s eyes. She found herself getting lost in daydreams recently, and Rose always had to snap her out of it. Not that the girl minded.

Rose was Marinette’s second in trapeze and aerial acrobatics, and the two had been tasked with helping to train new members of the circus as of late, helping them figure out where their strong suits lie. Not many were cut out for trapeze, due to the fact that most kids were afraid of heights. Marinette always tried her hardest to make the children feel like they were in a safe environment, but it was hard due to the rumors that had started recently. 

The press had begun to make allegations against Miraculous Circus, noting the fact that after nearly every city they visited, a member would go missing. Which, wasn’t entirely untrue. It wasn’t after every city, but a few people had gone missing with no notice of leaving. It wasn’t too incredibly odd considering the fact that everyone in the circus was either an orphan or a vagabond, but still. Everyone in the circus had been bound under contract by Hawkmoth, so leaving out of the blue was definitely strange, but not something Marinette tried to keep on her mind. She’d rather focus on other things. 

After helping some of the kids untangle themselves from the rope, she began to show them some basics. She tried to help some of them hang upside down, but most seemed too afraid, so she demonstrated herself, wrapping her legs around the bar tightly and gathering enough momentum to start swinging back and forth.

“Now who’s brave enough to come here?” Marinette offered, holding out her hands for someone to grab as she continued to swing. But instead of a child’s hands, an all too familiar pair of fingers wrapped around her forearm, changing their momentum into something more fast paced. She didn’t have to see his face to know who’s mop of blonde hair that belonged to.

“Adrien, I’m supposed to be helping the kids,” Marinette protested. The children were all laughing though, no longer looking terrified as Adrien wrapped his legs around their arms, looking like he was in a ridiculous upside down criss-cross applesauce position. Marinette couldn’t help but smile for a moment as well.

Adrien removed his legs from being wrapped around their arms and Marinette let go of him at a high point, the boy flying through the air briefly before hitting the ground. He stumbled a bit, but didn’t completely fall, and gave an overly dramatic bow as the kids all cheered for him.

Marinette hopped off the trapeze as well, smirking at Adrien. “I thought cats always landed perfectly on their feet?”

“No one can always stick their landing as well as you, Ladybug. Not even the great Chat Noir,” Adrien admitted, patting her on the back. 

Even though Adrien had grown up to become a big cat trainer, he was always well versed in a little bit of everything the circus had to offer. He could do basic trapeze, acrobatics, juggling, swordplay, a few magic tricks and, well, he was a clown all on his own accord.

On stage Adrien was known to the public as Chat Noir. He and his black panther Plagg could perform incredible tricks that amazed the audience as well as Marinette herself. Sometimes it was hard to believe that the docile young boy she had met ten years ago would grow up to tame killer beasts. And Marinette would be lying if she said she didn’t think Adrien had grown up to become a rather handsome young man, but when the boy was around his cats he could get rather cocky, which could be annoying. He was the first friend she ever made though, so she dealt with him and all his antics without much complaint, and he held a special place in her heart.

“Alright, kids! I think that’s enough of watching Marinette and Adrien here show off, let’s go see what the clowns are up to now.” As the ringleader, Alya was in charge of ushering the newbies around the tent to see everything, and she hadn’t missed watching Marinette and Adrien’s little stunt. Alya would constantly tease Marinette that the two were practically married, which she always brushed off as ridiculous, even though it made her blush. 

“Adrien, Nino’s asking for you,” Alya said as the kids began to walk in the direction of where the clowns were pulling their stunts. “Something about a lion cub issue? Sounded pretty important.”

“Oh, shoot. Thanks, Alya,” Adrien said, an exasperated look on his face. “Later, Marinette!” he called, waving back to her as he began to take off in the direction of where his cages were outside.

“Was there really a lion cub problem?” Marinette asked her suspiciously.

“Dunno,” Alya said with a mischievous shrug. “I just wanted to say that those moves you guys pulled looked pretty… y’know.” She winked, and Marinette groaned, hitting her in the arm. 

“Alya stop, you know it’s not like that,” she refuted, even though she was turning red.

Alya had been the third person that Hawkmoth had recruited for the circus. Her loud and rambunctious nature had apparently caught his eye, figuring she’d make the perfect ringleader, which she did without a doubt. She always managed to get the audience excited for the next act no matter what. Lady Alya was what she was known as underneath the spotlight, but to Marinette, she was simply known as best friend. The two had instantly hit it off when they met, and had been close ever since. Alya was the only one, besides Hawkmoth, who knew her backstory. Being the only two first-string girls they also shared a room together, which always led to late night gossip sessions. Not only was Alya a good ringleader, but a damn good snooper as well, and she had been trying to figure out what was going on with the missing performers. Marinette didn’t have too much interest. She had had enough tragedy in her life and she didn’t wish to go searching for more. It was all probably coincidence anyway.

“I know, I just like to watch you get all flustered about it,” Alya continued, teasingly. Marinette rolled her eyes in response.

“Don’t you have some ducklings to be taking care of?” Marinette pointed out, nodding in the direction of the group of children laughing aimlessly at the clowns.

“Ah, right,” Alya sighed. “Y’know if some people hadn’t gone missing we wouldn’t need these newbies,” she whispered. And then she scurried off to attend to the new kids, leaving Marinette to her own devices. 

Marinette went straight back to practicing, working on her aerial silk work. It had been a peaceful afternoon until Chloé showed up with Sabrina at her heels. The pompous girl twirled her white lace umbrella around in her hands, watching Marinette scrutinously as she made her way back down to the ground with ease.

“Is there something you want, Chloé?” Marinette asked, frowning.

“I’m just waiting for the day I see you fall, little Miss Fortune. Maybe then I’ll get my rightful place as first-string,” Chloé scoffed, walking away afterwards with her nose in the air. Sabrina looked as if she were sorry about Chloé’s behavior, but followed her anyways.

Chloé had always been bitter about being a second-string member considering she didn’t follow too far behind the first-stringers. She was found in the same orphanage as Nino and Sabrina, but Hawkmoth made her and her friend second-string simply because of how self-important Chloé was. Marinette couldn’t deny that she was talented though. She was the main tightrope walker, and Marinette was sure that if she wasn’t so big-headed she might just make first-string. She only wanted it for the attention though. She claimed her father was someone important in government and that if she was a main star in the show he would be able to find her and take her home. No one really believed her story but Sabrina. But she wanted it not only for the recognition from her “father”, but to spend more time with Adrien as well, who everyone knew she had a hopeless crush on. Adrien seemed unphased by her though, more into his cats than anything else.

Chloé was also the one to come up with the nicknames for Marinette. Her most popular one being “Miss Fortune”. Chloé, in all her infinite wisdom, decided that Marinette was only first-string because she was lucky that she never missed a landing, and therefore dubbed her the queen of luck itself.

What Chloé didn’t know was that Marinette saw her face every time she pulled a new stunt. But she would never tease her for her secret admiration. In a way, she found it flattering. It also made it easier to deal with her daily dose of torment.

While Marinette began to wrap up her practice one of the young girls from before came trotting up to her, her features covered in makeup from the clowns. She looked extremely determined for someone so little, and Marinette recognized her face immediately. She was one of the only kids who didn’t look completely terrified or shocked at her and Rose’s stunts in the air.

“Ladybug!” she demanded, grabbing her hand. “I don’t wanna be a clown. I wanna be different! I wanna be like you!”

The suddenness of the girl’s words surprised her, and she giggled at her fierce tone. Marinette bent down to the young girl’s eye level, holding her hand tightly in her own. She always had a soft spot for children.

“Are you sure you want to do trapeze? It can be quite scary up there sometimes. And you make a very cute clown,” she commented, poking her red nose.

“Everyone else is going to be a clown or a floor acrobat,” she whined. She tried to smudge the white makeup off of her face, without much success. It was true that most new recruits opted for what Marinette thought of as the easier options. The majority of people either went for being a clown or to work in floor equilibristics, not that that was necessarily a bad thing. “I want to be amazing, like you!”

Marinette never had taken in a protege in all her years of being in the circus, and taking one in now seemed like quite the hassle. But the little girl’s big golden brown puppy eyes were having some sort of effect on her she couldn’t quite explain, and she sighed, giving in without much afterthought.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Manon!” the young girl replied with enthusiasm. Her liveliness made Marinette’s heart feel warm, remembering fondly her first couple years in the business and how exciting it had been. How it gave her a new sense of purpose in life.

“That’s a beautiful name, Manon,” Marinette commented, a soft smile on her face. “You can call me Marinette. Welcome to the trapeze and aerial acrobatics team.”

And then Manon practically jumped on Marinette, hugging her tightly. It wasn’t uncomfortable though, and Marinette hugged back, feeling a rush of affection for the young girl. She obviously didn’t have a real family if she had ended up in a place like this, and Marinette was going to try her damn hardest to make it feel like she had one now. Perhaps a young student would be good for her as well.

 

* * *

 

“Ugh, Alya… There’s no lion cub crisis,” Adrien groaned, looking around his cages. Everything was in order, all the cats had been fed and were now taking their well deserved naps. Alya messed with him way too often. Or maybe he was just a little too gullible. You’d think after dealing with the same girl’s shenanigans for nearly ten years you’d learn a thing or two. Well, better safe than sorry, that’s what Adrien always thought anyways.

Nino had been waiting for him inside the tent where his cats were though, so at least she hadn’t lied about that too.

“Hey, Adrien! What’s with the face?” Nino inquired, looking confused.

“Oh, just Alya up to her usual tricks,” he explained, shrugging it off. “Anyways, what’s up? You wanted to talk?”

Nino nodded, leaning closer to Adrien and talking in a hushed tone. “I just overheard Miss Heartless talking to your father on the telephone. Something about another missing person.”

Miss Heartless was what the staff called Nathalie Sancoeur, Hawkmoth’s assistant and manager of the circus when he wasn’t there, which essentially was all the time. She was extremely stoic and always held an emotionless disposition, which earned her the nickname.

“Another one?” Adrien asked, concerned. This would be the fifth person to have gone missing in a matter of only a few months, and frankly, Adrien was beginning to get more concerned and confused by the minute. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Sure, people had left, but it had never been without notice. Adrien’s father was not the nicest person in the world, but surely something like this would have to put him on edge and call him to action to do something about it.

Gabriel Agreste was a philanthropist, creator and financial supporter of the Miraculous Circus, better known to his employees and the media as Hawkmoth. He had started the business not long after the death of Adrien’s mother, it being a good investment and giving his son something to do other than cry all day for his loss. Instead of grieving Gabriel threw himself into his latest project, and from the ashes and toil of orphans, vagabonds and runaways he managed to create one of the most popular shows in all of Europe.

The only other person besides Nathalie who knew who Adrien’s father was, was Nino. The day he and his father went to his orphanage the two had instantly hit it off. Adrien had never really had any friends due to his sheltered upbringing, and Nino was kind and funny and made Adrien feel like he wasn’t just some rich man’s son he needed to please. Nino didn’t show any interest in joining the circus at first, but after getting to know Adrien, he became convinced he should be a part of it. Nino was a the last first-string member and the main clown act, often playing the role of Pierrot in the show. The two had been best friends practically since the day they met, and Adrien had confided in him all of his secrets, and Nino had always accepted him without judgement.

Adrien never wanted to be treated differently because of who his father was, so no one else knew the truth. Gabriel didn’t know nor care about what his son did or didn’t tell people about his heritage after he threw him into the circus business, as long as he did his job properly. In fact, sometimes Adrien thought that his father preferred it that way. After all, a rich philanthropist having a son in the circus surely couldn’t be his proudest achievement. Their relationship was more along the lines of boss and employee rather than father and son. Whenever Adrien lied and told someone that he was an orphan, most of the time it felt more like the truth. The only parent that had ever remotely cared about him was long gone.

But even his cold-hearted father should feel it necessary to do something about his missing staff. His contracts were nothing to sneeze at, and them being broken had to be some sort of defyment that put his reputation at stake. 

“Do you think you should talk to him?” Nino questioned. The few that had gone missing weren’t essential personnel, but still, a missing person was a missing person.

“I don’t know,” Adrien admitted, nervously. Talking to his father was always an uncomfortable hassle. Usually Nathalie just sent in her regular check-ups and that was all his father cared to know about.

“But I mean, we have to do _something_ if he won’t,” Nino pressed, gesturing wildly with his hands. “What if something really bad happened to those people?”

“C’mon, it’s not like there’s some secret murderer or kidnapper out there following our troupe,” Adrien replied, trying to sound nonchalant about the subject. “Maybe people are just finally getting the guts to leave this place. It’s not like it’s all glitz and glamor around here.”

“Adrien, you know that’s not true.”

Adrien bit his lip. He did know. It was all too consistent and methodical to just be random occurrence. There had to be something else going on.

“Think about it,” Nino continued. “What if it was Marinette who went missing? I bet you’d do something then.”

Adrien’s eyes widened and a faint blush crept up from his neck to his ears. “Don’t say that!” he demanded, playfully shoving Nino in the arm. Ever since they were little, Nino would always tease Adrien about his definitely-not-a-crush on Marinette. He just thought she was an amazingly talented and kind person, that was all. She was like family in a way, and Nino did have a point in what he was saying. “Alright, fine. I’ll talk to Nathalie later and see if I can get ahold of my dad to see what’s going on.”

“There’s the Adrien I know and love,” Nino chirped, clapping him on the back.

“Yeah, yeah,” Adrien moaned. He knew it was the right thing, but talking to his father was such a hassle, and he didn’t look forward to it. But the thought of Marinette going missing burned in the back of his mind, making him feel braver than usual.

“Well, I have some new little clowns to go coach. See you later, and let me know how it goes,” Nino bid farewell and left the tent, leaving Adrien alone with his cats. He could see Plagg’s green eyes staring at him intently, as if he had understood his and Nino’s conversation. 

“Don’t give me that look,” Adrien mumbled to his cat, his hands gripping the cold metal bars that separated them. The black panther made an indistinct growling noise and Adrien sighed. “It’s a good thing you can’t really talk, otherwise I have a feeling I’d get a lot of lip from you.” 

“Talking to Plagg again?” The familiar voice rang through his ears like a bell, and Adrien turned around to see Marinette poking her head inside the tent.

“What can I say? He’s a good listener,” Adrien replied, trying to sound smooth. Plagg yawned and turned his attention away from the two, making Adrien seem even more crazy.

“I just wanted to tell you that I fixed your mask. I wanted to make sure it fit,” Marinette explained, making her way inside and holding up for him to see.

Other than being an amazing trapeze artist, Marinette was also responsible for creating most of the costumes used by the performers. Only the first-string members knew about it though, since it was really supposed to be someone of a lower status’ job. But Marinette enjoyed it and adamantly requested to do it, so Hawkmoth had let her.

She walked over and held the mask up daintily to his face, the black lace stitching tickling his cheeks. Marinette reached up to tie the ribbon around the back of his head, the two becoming intimately close for a moment before she pulled away to look at her work, squinting at it. 

“How does it feel on your face? Not too loose?” She asked, adjusting the mask ever so slightly.

“It’s _purr_ fect. Thank you, Marinette,” Adrien replied, smirking at his own little joke. Marinette rolled her eyes in response.

Whether you were a main performer or a background dancer, everyone in Miraculous Circus was required to either wear a mask or copious amounts of makeup. The actor’s anonymity was something that was held in high regard, it being a part of the contract you initially signed to join. Even Hawkmoth wore a mask when he made his infrequent visits. The masks were a very important aspect to everyone’s costumes, and Marinette always put her heart and soul into them, trying to make them suit the person they were made for.

Adrien’s mask was jet black to match Plagg, made from intricate lace and beads that went down to a point at his nose. The eye’s were encircled by a thin band of green stitching to match his eyes, and the top corners were delicately made points to look similar to cat ears. Adrien was eleven years old when Marinette first gave him his mask, and he had loved it since the moment he first saw it. It often got battered and torn throughout the years due to his roughhousing with his cats, but Marinette always fixed it up as good as new, never asking for thanks but always receiving one anyways.

“Maybe you can manage to keep this one longer than a few months? Hmm?” Marinette advised, raising her eyebrow.

“I’ll try my best,” Adrien claimed, removing his mask and holding it tenderly in his hands. 

“Alright. Well I have to get back to helping Manon.”

“Who’s Manon?” Adrien asked, confused.

“Just this little girl who wanted to join trapeze. I told her I’d help teach her.” Her voice sounded nonchalant, but her eyes said it was something else. Something important to her.

“Oh, so you finally found yourself a little protege!” Adrien exclaimed, clapping his hands together in enthusiasm.

“Something like that, I guess,” Marinette replied, shrugging. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and Adrien couldn’t help but feel happy for her. Marinette was always somewhat detached from newcomers, not that she was cold or mean or anything of the sort. Adrien could always tell she had a fear of losing people, and for that reason she rarely got close to anyone. 

“Well, if she’s learning from you she’s going to end up being first-string in no time. I better watch out for my place,” Adrien joked, laughing lightly.

“Silly Kitty,” Marinette teased. “No one could dethrone you as prince of the circus. Not with a fierce creature like that to back you up.” She pointed towards Plagg who was sleeping soundly on his back and purring loudly.

“Ah yes, so frightening,” Adrien sighed. Sometimes he swore Plagg was honestly trying to make him look bad.

“Well, like I said, I better get going.” Marinette began to leave before turning her head back for one last question. “See you at dinner?” She asked, her eyes shining.

“I might be late to that,” Adrien replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “I have to talk to Nathalie about something first.”

“Ah, okay. Well, good luck with that!” Marinette waved Adrien goodbye as she left the tent, leaving him alone with his cats again.

“You’re lucky you don’t have a father,” Adrien muttered under his breath towards Plagg, even though he was dead asleep. “Well, better go find Nathalie.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!! fire emblem fates came out recently and ive been addicted rip 
> 
> i promise to try and update more often!!!! i already have some of the next chapter written so heres to hoping i can stick to that promise. anyways, please enjoy! and thank you for all the great feedback so far :)

Marinette didn’t see Adrien during dinner that night. Which was fine, really. He had said he was busy, and she had Alya and Nino anyways. It’s just that dinner was the one time during the day when Marinette could actually relax and simply talk to her friends. Not that she didn’t see them during the daytime, but usually it was all work and no play. There _was_ a spot filler that evening though, as Marinette had invited Manon to sit with her.

“So you’re the girl that made Max upset,” Nino mused, smirking slightly. Manon wasn’t a huge fan of clowns, and had earlier made fun of Max for his lackluster skills in juggling. Max was a supposed child genius, and had joined the circus purely because he had no other outlet for his talent. Being an orphan didn’t offer people many good opportunities to flourish in life. One thing the young clown had to work on though was juggling for sure, and Manon hadn’t been shy to point it out to him.

“He kept dropping everything!” Manon exclaimed, sticking an aggressive forkful of food in her mouth, making Nino laugh.

“You would’ve made a great clown, little girl,” Nino said, chuckling at her puffed out cheeks.

“No way,” Manon refuted, chewing with her mouth open. “I’m going to be beautiful and graceful like Ladybug!”

“You can start by not talking with your mouth full,” Marinette chided, hiding a small laugh behind her hand. Manon immediately corrected herself, shutting her mouth and swallowing down everything she had shoveled into it. “And I told you to call me Marinette. Ladybug is just my stage name.”

“Aww, Ladybug, don’t be so shy,” Alya hummed teasingly, causing Marinette to become flustered. She thought of herself and Ladybug as two separate people most of the time. Ladybug was graceful and elegant, capable of performing incredible stunts at death-defying heights. Marinette on the other hand was just a shy girl who was decent at sewing, with a side of self-depreciation and clumsiness.

“Hey, don’t I need a stage name?” Manon inquired, looking over to Marinette.

“You’ve hardly been able to swing on the trapeze yet, Manon. And you haven’t even been here more than a few days. Give it time, the name will come to you naturally,” Marinette replied, sounding motherly.

“How did you get the name Ladybug?” Manon asked, ever the curious kid. But the reason behind her stage name wasn’t something she talked about openly, as it was very personal.

When Marinette was a little girl she would always help out her mother in the garden. Since they owned a small bakery the two were out there quite often tending to their crop, and one day Marinette came across a ladybug perched on one of the leaves of the plants, causing her to question what it was. Her mother explained the insect to her, how they helped the garden by eating pests, and also how they were a symbol of good luck. Marinette quickly became fascinated by the little creatures and grew a fondness for them. Every time she saw one in the garden she would watch intently as it went about its buggy business, admiring its resilience.

Her mother had even started to call Marinette her little ladybug, saying it was because she was lucky to have a daughter as sweet as her. One year for Marinette’s birthday her mother, being not only a baker but a decent seamstress, made her a small ladybug doll as a gift, and Marinette had treasured it ever since, dubbing the small creature Tikki. After the fire, it was all she had left to remember her parents by, and to honor them in her own little way, she took their pet name and made it into her stage name.

“Because I’m lucky,” Marinette lied. The smile on her face was forced, but convincing enough to put Manon at ease.

The rest of dinner went on without any more impending questions from the little one, and it wasn’t long before it was time to go off to bed. Manon, being a newcomer, had to go stay with the other new children in their designated tent, while Marinette and Alya went to go to theirs. Marinette had walked Manon to her room though, telling her to get a good night’s rest. They were scheduled to have a show the following day, and it would be a good opportunity for Manon to see what she was really signing up for.

“You alright, Mari? It seems like you’ve been a bit… off today,” Alya observed as the two began to settle into their respective beds. Marinette tugged the covers up to her chin, rolling onto her side to face her friend.

“I’m fine,” she replied with a sigh. “I guess, with Manon, I’ve just been thinking about the past a lot lately. She reminds me of myself when I was little.”

“You weren’t nearly as rambunctious,” Alya countered, raising an eyebrow.

Marinette laughed in reply. “You’re right. You were the more rambunctious one.”

“I prefer the word exuberant,” Alya laughed, before turning back onto a more serious note. “I think Manon will be good for you. Remembering the past isn’t always a bad thing.”

Marinette clutched Tikki tightly beneath the covers, suddenly feeling as if she were nine years old again. “It’s just hard sometimes, you know?”

“I know. Just don’t get too hung up on it, otherwise you might not see what’s right in front of you,” Alya replied before blowing out the light that illuminated their room.

“You’re right. Goodnight, Alya,” Marinette whispered softly before giving into unconsciousness. That night she dreamt of her mother and father, but their faces were blurry, as if it were hard to even remember what they looked like anymore. It seemed every time she dreamt of them, their image became fuzzier and fuzzier. But their voices were always gentle and airy, as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t too hard for Adrien to find Nathalie. After making her rounds in the ring and checking up on everyone she could always be found in her tent in solitude at the end of the night, rigorously going over paperwork that Hawkmoth didn’t have time to look into himself. Sometimes it seemed that Nathalie was more so the runner of the circus rather than Hawkmoth by all the work she did for it. Ever since the show got up and running he had been rather detached from his work, his mind on other people and philanthropic projects.

Adrien always thought that Nathalie being known as “Miss Heartless” was rather cruel, always seeing her as more of a stern and candid person rather than straight up insensitive. Maybe that was because she knew he was her boss’s son, and maybe she treated him differently because of that. But either way, Adrien was glad he was never in her direct line of fire.

Adrien pulled open the curtain to her tent timidly, seeing her shadowy frame bent over a desk with her head in her hands, staring intently at the papers that were laid out before her. He cleared his throat to let her know that he was there, and she immediately turned her attention away from her work.

“Is there something you need, Adrien?” Nathalie asked. Her voice sounded tired, her eyes half-lidded as if she had been falling asleep before he arrived.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Adrien replied, moving to come inside as soon as Nathalie gestured for him to do so. He remained standing, making it clear that he didn’t wish to stay for too long. “I wanted to know if it was possible to speak to my father.”

Nathalie furrowed her brows in response. “You know he’s a very busy man. If there’s something you need you can tell _me_. That’s why I’m here.”

Sometimes Adrien had suspicions that Nathalie was not only hired as a manager, but a babysitter as well. You would think being nineteen would mean you’d be treated as an adult, but it turns out that’s not true if your father is rich and tyrannical. Well, if she wasn’t going to let him get in touch with his father, he may as well ask her.

“I was wondering what sort of action he plans on taking about the missing people.”

Nathalie’s stoic disposition faltered for a brief moment before she managed to compose herself again. “Why would he take action?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Adrien demanded, his hands curling up into fists at his side, becoming frustrated.

“A few missing staff members doesn’t make for much of a detrimental difference to the performance,” Nathalie acknowledged.

“But they broke the contract. Doesn’t that make it seem, I don’t know, meaningless?”

“There’s no definitive proof saying they left of their own accord, therefore he cannot take action, nor does he wish to. The show must go on, Adrien. You know this better than anyone.”

Adrien bit the inside of his cheek out of nervous habit. “That doesn’t make any of this right,” he argued, turning away from Nathalie towards the exit. Before leaving he turned his head back towards her, using the power that came with having the last name Agreste to sound as compelling as possible. “Next time you speak to my father, tell him I wish to see him soon to talk.”

He just barely saw the nod from Nathalie before he left, his chest feeling tight with nervousness and anxiety. He hated using his heritage as a trump card, but it usually worked with Nathalie, and Adrien wasn’t about to just let this sort of thing slide. But there were other things to worry about as well, like the show tomorrow. Adrien made haste back to the tent he shared with Nino, who he found still awake, reading the newspaper by candlelight.

“So, did you talk to him?” Nino asked, turning his full attention towards Adrien.

“Of course not,” Adrien sighed, taking off his shirt to get ready for bed. “Busy as always. I asked Nathalie about it, but she just said that they weren’t planning on doing anything.”

“How can they not!?” Nino exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands.

“That’s what I said!” Adrien replied, flopping down onto his bed in exasperation. “I told Nathalie to tell my father that I wanted to see him though. So we’ll see how that goes.”

“It has been a while since he made a visit last,” Nino pointed out. Hawkmoth did very rarely make an appearance at the circus, and when he did it was usually extremely brief. He watched the show only once a year to give feedback on the acts, both new and old. Besides seeing the performance for himself he also only showed his face to remind his staff who they really worked for. Hawkmoth was often thought of more as a figurehead than their actual owner and contractor, but when he made his visit in the flesh his domineering presence very much reminded people that he was much more than a name for the media to slap on posters.

“I’m sure he’ll show up soon. He can’t ignore this forever,” Adrien remarked, blowing out the candle before climbing into bed. Whether he meant that Hawkmoth couldn’t ignore the missing people or himself, he didn’t really know.

 

* * *

 

The following morning was incredibly hectic, as all mornings before shows were. Marinette, Rose and the other trapeze artists all hurriedly helped to set up their equipment and practiced a few of their routine stunts. Manon helped a little, but mostly sat on the sidelines and watched as the professionals went to work.

Alya was always the most frantic before shows, running around to every performer's respective areas and making sure everything was up to snuff. Usually everyone was on schedule, but today Marinette could tell by Alya’s face that something wasn’t right. The girl was hustling her way over towards Marinette, her tailcoat billowing behind her.

“Marinette, I need your help,” Alya huffed, out of breath.

Marinette swung down from her position on the trapeze to talk to her friend. “What’s going on?”

“Adrien’s having trouble with Plagg, he was wondering if you could –”

“Say no more,” Marinette interjected, hands on her hips. “I’ll take care of it. Rose?” The blonde looked over her shoulder to Marinette, eyebrows raised. “Watch Manon for me, I’ll be right back.” Rose smiled and nodded, and Marinette took off in the direction towards Adrien’s cages.

Plagg had always been Adrien’s most stubborn cat, which wasn’t great considering the fact that he was the star of the show. When he was out on stage, he performed well, but other than that he could be the laziest and most perverse animal to ever grace the earth.

And for whatever reason, he tended to listen to Marinette more than Adrien sometimes. Adrien could usually get him to cooperate if he lured him with food, but on the off occasion that that didn’t work, he would always call Marinette over. Ever since he was a cub he had taken a liking to her that she couldn’t really explain.

Upon entering the tent with the cats Marinette found Adrien standing inside the cage with Plagg, holding out a steak as a peace offering that he clearly wasn’t taking.

“Mind if I come in?” Marinette asked, hand on the door to the cage.

Adrien immediately turned around, a smile breaking across his face. “Oh, thank god. Yes, of course.” He gestured for her to enter and she did so, going over to kneel by his side, the stench of raw meat filling her nose. “Don’t kneel on the ground, you’re going to get your costume all dirty,” Adrien said, frowning.

“Don’t you have more important things to worry about?” Marinette chided. Adrien sighed in response, turning his gaze back onto Plagg.

Marinette got down on all fours, slowly crawling her way towards Plagg, who was lounging in a corner of his enclosure with only one eye open. As Marinette became closer and closer to the black cat he began to emit a low grumbling sound, but still never moved a muscle.

“Come on, kitty kitty,” Marinette whispered, reaching her hand out with her palm up. Plagg’s nose twitched at her approach, and both of his eyes opened lazily to stare at her. “Come on, time to put on a show for all the little children.” She gingerly placed her hand atop the cat’s head and gently scratched behind his ears and he began to purr. “That’s a good boy.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Adrien admitted, watching as Plagg put his head in Marinette’s lap, rubbing on her fondly.

Marinette shrugged in response, giggling lightly at Plagg’s affection. “He’s just a big softie,” she replied, turning her gaze back to Adrien. “Kind of like someone else I know.”

“Very funny, Mari,” Adrien said jokingly. He picked the steak back up and waved it in front of Plagg, causing him get up off of Marinette and come bounding at him excitedly. “Thanks for getting him back up on his feet.”

“Anytime,” Marinette assured, getting back up on her own feet, wiping some of the grass off of her skirt. As Plagg ate away at his pre-show dinner she walked back over to Adrien, playfully tapping the bell on the collar of his costume. “Good luck out there today.”

“I’d say the same to you, but I know you don’t need it,” Adrien responded smoothly, giving her a wink. She laughed, exiting the cage.

“See you in the ring,” she called as she left, sending a wink over her shoulder as farewell.

 

* * *

 

The show had gone on without a hitch after that. Plagg had behaved perfectly and awed the crowd with his tricks as always. When Chat Noir’s act was over he quickly hustled his felines behind the curtains and back into their cages in order to go peek back outside at everyone else’s acts.

After him was the group of floor acrobats and equilibristic specialists lead by Sabrina. They were more of an interim act, allowing for the next main act to finish prepping. They were good though, and Adrien enjoyed watching them riding around on unicycles stacked on top of one another. Sabrina also had a small new act since she was working on her contortionist work, where she would balance herself on top of a pole surrounded by a ring of performers and essentially twist her body into a pretzel.

“Hey, Chat.” Adrien whirled his head around at the sound of his name to find Marinette all dressed up, mask and all, attempting to haul an armful of aerial silk in her arms, half of it dragging behind her. “Could you help me out?”

Despite her obvious struggle, Adrien couldn’t help but pause for a moment and stare at her. She was incredibly beautiful in her red and black costume, it perfectly suiting her Ladybug persona. Her hair was tied up into pigtails with red ribbon, and her spotted mask made her look almost ethereal. No matter how many times over how many years he saw her, she never ceased to amaze him.

“Yeah, of course,” Adrien replied, making his way towards to her to gather up the silk that was spilling out over her arms. “It’s the least I can do. Plagg performed great thanks to you.”

The two walked in sync side by side, making their way towards the trapeze set up. “You’re the one who trained him. What I did was nothing.”

“I wouldn’t call it nothing,” Adrien argued, to which Marinette simply rolled her eyes.

They dropped the ribbon off and Marinette was about to go about her business and continue setting up when Adrien stopped her, placing his hand on her shoulder before moving it up to her cheek, adjusting her mask.

“You never tie it tight enough,” Adrien commented, fixing the knot in the back. “You wouldn’t want it to fall off, would you? Then they’d see your real spots.”

“My… What?” Marinette muttered, touching her face self-consciously. Adrien finished fixing her mask and took a step back, admiring her features.

“Your freckles of course,” Adrien laughed. If he wasn’t mistaken he might’ve seen her blush beneath her mask. “See you out there.”  
  
Marinette nodded, her expression going from flustered to determined in a matter of seconds. She was always spectacular out in the ring, and Adrien always looked forward to seeing her making her world renowned leaps through the air no matter how many times he’d seen it before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible with updating this and I have no excuse so sORRY ITS SO LATE  
> I've only been writing this at my own leisure so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

After Alix’s knife throwing and Kim’s fire eating act it was Marinette and the other trapeze artists turn to take center stage. Everything was set up and ready and Rose had started off swinging around on the trapeze while others did background aerial silk work. 

Rose was always the first to go, getting the crowd excited for Ladybug’s eventual entrance. She did some basic flips with some other members while Ladybug waited atop the rafters in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to jump in.

After everyone but Rose was left in the air Ladybug gripped the trapeze in her hands and leapt from the platform, swinging back and forth to gain momentum before her first jump. When she saw Rose at her peak she let go, spinning through the air before reaching her companion’s arms and taking hold as the crowd cheered. They did a few more jumps back and forth between the two of them before it was Rose’s turn to leave the spotlight, leaving Ladybug alone on a static trapeze, swinging idly as the music turned from chirpy to something more slow paced.

Ladybug knew the routine like the back of her hand. She had perfected it over years of training and arduous practice, and it was as easy as breathing for her now. She moved along with the music, twisting her body around the bar and ropes, flipping and hanging herself in multiple positions in tandem with the rhythm of the music, letting herself pause in certain positions as the crowd cheered in awe at her. She moved gracefully around the trapeze as if it were a part of her, letting muscle memory do most of the work. 

She could feel the eyes of hundreds of people watching her as she moved but it didn’t phase her. All that mattered was her and the the ropes she hung from, lending her all the support she needed. As the music slowed to a stop Ladybug hung frozen in her final position on the bar as the crowd erupted into applause, allowing her to break out of the melancholic trance she had gone in while performing. She flipped her way back up into a standing position on the trapeze and waved at the crowd, a smile breaking out across her face. 

She hopped down from the bar onto the net below her and exited the ring as the applause faded out, Alya coming back into the center of the ring once again to announce the next act that was to begin.

“Thank you for showing our Miraculous Ladybug so much kindness tonight,” Alya began, standing under the spotlight with poise. “Now boys and girls, I bid you to give a warm welcome to our beloved pierrot and his group of misfit clowns. Please put your hands together for The Bubbler!”

Alya left the ring and Nino and his group of clowns paraded inside, honking horns and riding unicycles in an unorderly fashion, causing all the children in the audience to laugh. 

Marinette had made her back behind the curtains, sitting down and getting a drink of water to try and catch her breath after her performance. Alya trotted up to her after announcing the clowns, leaning down to ruffle her hair. “You were fantastic as always!”

“Thanks, Alya,” Marinette replied, smiling beneath her friend’s touch. 

“I have to go see if Chloé’s ready, you know she can be. I’ll see you after the shows over and we can celebrate!” Alya said, leaving her with a wink and a promise. Marinette watched her leave and enjoyed the few moments of silence she got before another familiar face appeared before her. 

“Ladybug you were so...! So...!” Manon searched for the right word, practically bouncing up and down. “Beautiful!”

Marinette laughed shyly in response to her praise. “Thank you, Manon. One day that could be you up there if you train hard enough.”

“I sure hope so!” The little girl took a seat beside Marinette on the floor, tapping her hands on her legs restlessly. “I wanna start practicing right now!”

Marinette sighed, taking another drink of water before replying. “I’m a little tired right now, Manon. Maybe later.”

Manon nodded, but she still didn’t look any less restless. 

“How about you go sneak a seat on the bleachers? Nino and the other clowns are performing right now.” Marinette offered, but Manon scrunched up her face in distaste.

“I don’t wanna watch the clowns. I’d rather watch you again!” Manon nagged. 

“I told you, I’m tired. Anyways, Myléne is out there with the clowns pantomiming, you haven’t seen her yet have you?”

“Well, no,” Manon admitted.

“Then you should go watch! She’s very good. She’s said to have taken after her father who was once a famous pantomime. Although no one knows for sure, since she never speaks.”

“Woah, really?” Manon exclaimed, beginning to become interested. Marinette nodded.

“Go ahead and watch. I need to rest up before the finale.” Marinette didn’t need to say anymore, as Manon was already hopping up from her seat and waving her goodbye as she scurried off to find a seat in the crowd. Marinette let out a sigh of relief, leaning her head back and resting her eyes for a moment. She appreciated the quiet times in between acts that allowed her to take a breather from everything.

 

* * *

 

After every grand finale Adrien would always sit with his cats for a while in silence. Preforming was harder than it looked, especially when you were attempting to get numerous large animals to act in sync with one another. So after every show, he and his feline friends would rest together for a while, enjoying the sense of relief and euphoria that came after finishing a show.

The finale had gone smoothly. Alya was the one who coordinated everything, so it was always thanks to her that hundreds of people and animals could work together to smoothly when they were all shoved into one ring. It was one of their better shows for sure. Every time they came to Paris to do a show everyone always seemed on their best behavior in order to do their home city proud. Adrien didn’t even get yelled at by Alya afterwards for staring at Ladybug perform above him during the finale, which was saying something in itself.

The fact that she show went so well made his quiet time with his cats all the more gratifying. It even got to the point where Adrien ended up nodding off after a while, having become so relaxed. He awoke to the sound of rain and Plagg’s loud purring, stretching out his arms before getting up from his seat on the floor beside the panther. 

Most people hated rain, but Adrien loved it. To him it was a way for the earth to wash away everything and start fresh, bringing new life to everything it touched. He locked up his cages and went outside, standing and letting the rain soak into his hair and clothes, smiling from ear to ear, the scent of petrichor filling his nose.

And then the rain stopped suddenly, and Adrien opened his eyes to see Marinette standing in front of him, holding a towel over his head. She was completely soaked as well, the rain making her costume darken with every drop. Her hair stuck to her forehead and Adrien couldn’t help but smile softly and brush some of it out of her face. 

“What are you doing out here?” Marinette asked, concerned. She was shorter than he was, so her arms stretched far above her in order for the towel to cover Adrien’s head. He took the cloth from her and placed over her own head, ruffling her wet hair with it.

“Just thinking,” he replied, a cheshire grin on his face at seeing Marinette’s mussed up hair. “What are  _ you  _ doing out here?”

“Trying to keep a stupid boy from catching a cold.” Marinette pouted, taking the towel and putting it onto Adrien’s hair and messing it up in return, making him laugh. In retaliation he took off his coat and put it over Marinette’s head. There was no way he was losing this war.

“You should worry more about yourself sometimes,” Adrien commented. Marinette looked like she was about to retaliate, but just ended up sighing in response, hugging his jacket closer to her. “You win, though. Let’s go inside. I could use a nice warm cup of tea.”

Marinette nodded in response, and the pair made their way to the kitchens where it was completely desolate. Adrien had slept through dinner, and the dining hall was empty other than a few dirty dishes scattered about. They made their way to the back and Adrien put the kettle on while Marinette attempted to squeeze most of the water out of her hair. It had fallen out of it’s usual pigtails and hung in loose, damp curls, framing her face rather nicely. Adrien secretly wished she’d wear her hair down more often. 

After he finished making the tea the two sat down in comfortable silence, reveling in the warmth that their cups emanated, sipping at it idly until Adrien decided to speak up. 

“I know I say this after every show, but I must say, you were absolutely spectacular out there tonight. More so than usual.”

Marinette rolled her eyes in response, but Adrien could see the color rising to her cheeks. “I guess you and your silly cats weren’t so bad either.”

“Wow, such high praise!” Adrien exclaimed, half sarcastic. They both laughed at that, but Marinette ended up sneezing at the end, making Adrien worry. “This is why you shouldn’t go out looking for stray cats in the rain,” he chided, handing her a handkerchief. 

Marinette took it and blew her nose daintily before replying. “Well I’m not going to sit here and be sorry for caring so much,” she replied, averting her gaze. “And you’re not a stray, Adrien. You’re my friend.”

That was the beautiful thing about Marinette. It never ceased to amaze Adrien just how selfless and kind she was. But sometimes, it was too much, and she really did have to think about her own well being. Without thinking, he reached across the small tabletop and took her hand in his. It was surprisingly delicate for someone who trained harder than an ox every day.

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, you shouldn’t worry about me so much. You’re my friend too, and I don’t want to see you getting sick because of me.” He gave her his best smile and squeezed her hand gently before pulling away, but to his surprise she held on, her grip strong for such small hands.

She didn’t look at him as she spoke, instead keeping her head down so her bangs covered her eyes. Adrien couldn’t help but wish she’d look at him. He loved her blue eyes.

“I just get scared at the thought of losing people. And when I didn’t see you for a while after the show... and with everything that’s been going on…” her voice trailed off, and Adrien began to notice that her hands had become clammy. 

“Hey,” he began, his tone serious. She finally looked up at him and he could see the worry lines all over her face. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise. You can’t get rid of my that easily.”

A smile finally broke out on her face and Adrien couldn’t help but smile back tenfold. In all honesty, he would do anything to keep her happy because out of everyone he knew, she deserved it. 

“Come on, Alya and Nino are probably worried about us by now. We should head back.” Adrien rose from his seat, never letting go of Marinette’s hand as he did so, consequently dragging her along with him. She didn’t mind though, or at least she didn’t say so, because she followed him without question, abandoning their empty teacups for someone else to find come morning. 

They ventured back outside where it was still raining to both of their dismay. Adrien tugged his jacket back over Marinette’s head and held it there while she looked confused. 

“You ready?” Adrien asked, a childish spark in his eye.

“Ready for what?” Marinette wondered, looking up at him from underneath the cover he held over her.

“To run!” Adrien tightened his grip on Marinette’s hand as he tugged her out into the rain, the two beginning to book it for their respective tents. It wasn’t hard for Marinette to keep up with him as he tugged her along, and by the time they made it to her and Alya’s tent she wasn’t huffing and puffing like Adrien was, she was laughing.

“You’re completely ridiculous, you know that?” Marinette chuckled. Adrien couldn’t help but laugh as well, a cheshire grin spreading over his face. 

“I just couldn’t bear to let the rain hit you, my fair lady.” He took an overly dramatic bow and Marinette playfully hit him on head.

“Oh, stop it. Here, take your–” she had begun to take the jacket off, but Adrien immediately cut her off.

“Keep it,” he insisted. “It’s soaked anyway. I have no use for it. And my tents right over there.”

“Thanks,” Marinette replied. He felt her fidgeting and suddenly remembered that he was still holding onto her hand. Embarrassed, he let go, turning to leave before she could spot the blush rising to his cheeks.

“See you tomorrow,” he called as he left, jogging his way over to his own tent where Nino was undoubtedly waiting for him. Even though the rain had soaked him to the bone by this point he wasn’t cold in the slightest. In fact, he felt unnaturally warm inside.

 

* * *

 

Back inside her tent, Marinette spotted Alya lounging on her bed reading a book. Of course, she immediately shot upright when Marinette entered, clearly full of questions as to where she’d been.

“Where were you? Was that Adrien I heard outside?” Alya began asking, completely abandoning her novel.

Marinette peeled the sopping wet coat Adrien had lended her off, setting on the back of a chair while she rummaged around for a dry pair of pajamas. “Yes, that was Adrien. I was worried when I didn’t see him for a while after a show and found him standing outside in the rain like an idiot.”

“Oh, that’s all, is it?” Alya inquired further, her eyebrows raising at any hint of gossip.

“We had tea to warm up and then came back here. That’s all. End of story.” Marinette pulled out a fresh nightgown and began to change as Alya’s curiosity continued to kill her.

“A meetup at night out in the rain and then a date for tea? I’m pretty sure I just read the same scene in this romance novel I’m reading.” Alya waved about her book as if it were some kind of indicative proof of something. Marinette sighed, flopping down onto her bed once she’d gotten fully dressed. 

“You’re over dramatic, just like him,” Marinette berated, shaking her head. “We’re only friends, Alya, you know that. I could never—”

“Never what?” Alya pressed, leaning forward in interest.

Marinette remained silent for a moment, wondering what she was even going to say to finish her sentence in the first place. “Never even let myself  _ think  _ of something like… you know. Whatever  _ you’re _ thinking right now.”

“I think you should stop being so afraid of what might happen if you  _ did _ think about what I’ve been telling you for years. I’m just saying.”

Marinette would’ve retaliated, but honestly, Alya was right. Marinette was afraid. Her crippling fear of losing loved ones was something that hardly ever allowed for her to get close to people. Friendship was one thing, and still rare at that, but… loving someone the way that she could possibly love Adrien was something she never allowed herself to even think about. 

“The gain would weigh more than any loss, and I think it’s worth the risk.” Alya commented before blowing out the candle that lit the room. “Just think about it. Goodnight, Mari.”

“Mm, Goodnight,” Marinette mumbled in reply. She buried herself beneath the warm covers, clinging to Tikki as she mulled over the possibility of harboring romantic feelings towards Adrien. It was something she always brushed off as a joke from Alya, never even allowing herself to explore the possibility that there  _ could _ be something between them. She stared at her doll and became reminded of the loss of her parents, while simultaneously thinking about the warmth of Adrien’s hand in hers. She wondered which hurt more at the moment, losing them or letting go of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspiration for ladybugs solo static trapeze act in this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euQ28VeN-Ec, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz5v_ElljCo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_hRHSPseY8 
> 
> did I add that rain scene because of THE rain scene? the world may never know... ;)

**Author's Note:**

> please feel free to leave comments below because I adore talking to you all and getting your feedback, it makes me want to write faster!


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